Electric circuit controller



NOV. 8, 1949 sM T JR 2,487,079

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Fil ed April 11, 1946 FIGURE I FIGURE 3 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 4 8 IO 9 4 3 l A |2\|4 l3 2| [6 B 2 M H V V l5 FIGURE 5 IGN. A B

INVENTOR. C If.

GHESTERA. SMITH. J-R.

ATTD RN EYB Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

My present invention relates to an improved electric circuit controller and more particularly to a circuit controller for automobile ignition systems.

The principal object of my invention is to make it impossible to operate an automobile unless the speedometer is operating. It has been found, for instance, that taxicab operators sometimes disconnect the speedometer cable and drive unauthorized miles for personal reasons, or the speedometer cable may be detached and extra mileage added to the speedometer by manual rotation of the speedometer head.

By employing my invention in the ignition circuit of an automobile, between the ignition switch and the ignition coil, any tampering with the speedometer will break the circuit, and no current will be supplied to the engine.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have thus far devised but it will be under stood that changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure-within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one connecter element. I

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the element of Figure 1 taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a second connecter element. I

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the second element taken along line 6-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of the automobile ignition circuit with the connecters therein.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 3 illustrate the two connecter elements A and B forming the subject matter of the invention.

The element A is formed with a metal disk l having an insulating casing 2 cup-shaped and fashioned with a central opening 3 and an upturned flange 4. The casing is adapted to be attached to the speedometer housing in any conventional manner and is spaced therefrom by means of a washer 5. A bolt 6 is employed to secure the wire I to the disk and this wire is connected to the ignition switch (see Figure 5).

The inner face of the body or liner 1 is fashioned with spaced annular grooves 8 and 9 and an arcuate slot Ill is formed in the upper face of the disk between the grooves 8 and 9.

The element B as seen in Figures 3 and 4 comprises a ring I! of insulating material substantially rectangular in cross-section and having raised, spaced, annular ribs l2 and I 3 adapted for co-action with the annular grooves 8 and 9. At one point on the ring I have provided a ball contact l 41 elevated above the plane of the ribs I2 and H3. The ball contact I4 is electrically connected to the ignition coil (see Figure 5) as by the wire l5 and is designed to co-act with the arcuate slot ill on the disk I when the two elements A and B are associated.

Interior of the ring I l I employ annular spaced retaining elements It and I1 forming an annular slot 58 therebetween. The slot 58 is des gned to receive and maintain the H-shaped or slip ring it by means of the outer, annular flange 2G. The ring 99 is also fashioned with an inner flange 2| adapted to be aflixed t0 the coupling cup 22 of the speedometer cable 23.

In operation, the connecter element A is fixedly secured to the speedometer housing and the ignition wire I is connected. The connecter element B is fixedly secured on the speedometer cable cup, and the ignition coil Wire H5 is connected to the ring II.

The cup is screwed upon the speedometer and the slip ring l9 provides relative rotary movement between the cup and the ring H. When the cup is screwed home the grooves 8 and 9 will co-act w th the ribs l2 and I3 and the ball connecter will find the arcuate slot Ill and drop therein. The electric circuit as partially diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 5 will be complete so long as the two connecters A and B are not disturbed.

Any unloosening of the cable cup will break the circu t and the vehicle engine will not operate.

It will be apparent from the above description that the device of my invention will afford protection against unauthorized travel of the automobile in which the device is installed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a connector for a speedometer cable having a coupling cup on the end thereof, the combination which comprises a ring H-shape in cross section having a continuous web with flanges at the edges said H-shaped ring being carried by the outer surface of the cup, a ring of insulating material rectangular-shape in cross section having an annular T-shaped groove in the inner surface slidably mounted on the flange on the outer edge of the said continuous web and hav- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 870,490 Burbank Nov. 5, 1907 1,366,552 Blackburn Jan. 25 1921 1,663,740 Varner etva1..l Mar. 27'; 1928 2,316,065? Hapgoodc Apr. 6, \\1943 

